Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones! (Psalm 105:5-6)

When God created the world, it was with a specific purpose in mind; it was to have a people among whom He could dwell as their King. In time, that people received a name — Israel, the children of Jacob and the seed of Abraham. It was and is God’s intention to bless all the nations of the world through Israel, and so it is written, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Still, the blessing had to be initially deposited among a people chosen to be the caretakers of all things sacred and who would be faithful to that call.

This being so, it is important that we identify just who those people are according to the Word of God. Abraham was the first man on record to fully accept God’s call and to be obedient to His commands. Isaac, not Ishmael, was the one God appointed to bring forth the promised seed of Abraham, and it was his son, Jacob — not the wicked Esau — who was destined to be the father of the twelve tribes. In other words, though Abraham had multiple children and grandchildren, there has been only one true seed of Abraham — Israel. They are the people with whom God made covenant and appointed to be a light to the nations.

Now we turn to the words of Paul who said, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Messiah” (Galatians 3:16). It is through the Messiah that the nations of the world were to be and are blessed. Through Him and by Him, those who believe have been grafted into the family of faith called Israel. Therefore Paul says, “if you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).

This being so, you and I need to embrace the admonition given to us in the psalm — we are to remember “His marvelous works, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth” because we are His people. We have been chosen, not because we are perfect, but because He perfects those He has chosen. We have been chosen, not because we are special, but chosen in order to do something special. In short, we are to “proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill